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HSC-28 Receives New Helicopter in Support of Comfort Mission

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070801-20
Release Date: 8/1/2007 4:33:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist Joshua Karsten, USNS Comfort Public Affairs

COMALOPA, El Salvador (NNS) -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 Det. 2 welcomed its newest team member July 30, a new MH-60S helicopter from its Norfolk-based squadron.

The helicopter, "Painkiller 43," arrived at the Comalopa International Airport in Comalopa, El Salvador, via a U.S. Air Force 10th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

HSC-28 has a detachment of two helicopters and a combined team of 33 pilots, maintenance crew, and air crew supporting an ongoing four-month humanitarian mission with hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), currently moored pierside in Acajutla, El Salvador. The squadron works long hours, seven days a week, transporting equipment and personnel, including patients, to and from various in-country locations and the ship.

“We fly these helicopters really hard from early morning to sunset flying passengers,” said Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Kort McGuin, “anyone from the many medical patients we have to admirals and presidents from whatever country we are in at the time.”

While conducting routine phase maintenance, McGuin discovered a crack in the framework of one of the helicopters. If flights continued with this crack unnoticed, the results could have been catastrophic, said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Lawrence Newton; however, the hard work and careful attention of the aircraft maintainers prevented this.

Due to the nature Comfort's mission and the necessity for two helicopters, HSC-28’s home team quickly responded to the situation with a new helicopter. The C-17 crew members on their way home from a 22-day mission from locations such as Japan, Afghanistan and Germany were in the Norfolk area and were tasked with this last mission to El Salvador before going home. The teamwork of the Air Force and Navy expedited the arrival of the helicopter within just days of the discovery of the crack.

Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Scott Smith, who was working the weekend shift in Norfolk, said he received a call to come into work on Sunday.

“Personally I thought it was some routine stuff, but after stating that I’ve done helicopter loads and offloads during my tour in Guam, they told me to pack my bags and that I was headed for El Salvador,” said Smith.

The maintenance team performed all the basic servicing and conducted an in-depth inspection to make sure it was safe for flight before flying it to the ship to be put into action.

“It’s been really nice to see the better care of these countries that need it,” said McGuin. “This will allow us fly a lot more people to the boat and take care of the mission that we came out here to do.”

The diligence and teamwork between the U.S. Navy and her sister services is continuing to play a vital role in Comfort’s mission. U.S. Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Army, Public Health Service, Canadian forces and non-government organizations such as Project Hope and Operation Smile have all been providing medical care to nations including Belize, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua and currently El Salvador.

Comfort is currently on a four-month humanitarian assistance mission to Latin America and the Caribbean providing health care services to people in more than a dozen countries.